A look at the most overworked provinces in Canada
A new study says a pair of Maritime provinces are among the most overworked in Canada.
The study, conducted by Preszler injury lawyers in Alberta compiled data over the course of 2023 from Statistics Canada to determine the working hours for each Canadian province. Topping the list is Newfoundland and Labrador, averaging 38.18 working hours a week.
Falling just behind in second place is Prince Edward Island with the average worker clocking 37.36 hours a week. Third place is New Brunswick with a weekly average of 36.87 hours working across all job sectors.
Nova Scotia found itself in sixth place with an average work week of 36.06 hours.
In all three Maritime provinces, natural resources, agriculture and related production are the most overworked sectors, averaging close to 50 hours a week.
Megan Paul is a camp counsellor and teacher in Saint John, and admits to feeling overworked on the average day.
“I don't get to enjoy my weekends the way I would like to because I feel like I get burnt out,” Paul says. “Then I have to relax on the weekends when I could be spending time with my friends if I had a better work-life management.”
Others who work long hours don’t mind it.
“It’s a pretty good job,” one taxi driver told CTV Atlantic. “We work too many hours sometimes on the weekend, like more than 12 hours sometimes, but it’s a pretty good job.”
Dalhousie University psychology professor Dr. Simon Sherry says since the pandemic he has seen more cases of people being overworked or feeling burnt out. He says the pressure, stress, and demands of the modern workplace have greatly impacted people’s mental health, and says overworking can be difficult to manage.
“If you're highly agreeable and a people pleaser or if you're very perfectionistic, with the highest standards, these are traits that have been shown to set people up to end up in a place of burnout or overwork,” says Sherry.
He notes ways employers can mitigate the risk of burnout.
“If people have a sense that the work is rewarding and fulfilling, they tend to burn out less often,” says Sherry. “So a smart organization will design its workforce to give people a healthy sense of control and a sense that their work is rewarding.”
Sherry also points out technology has contributed to the recent increase in people feeling overworked or burnt out. He says many people feel the need to be “on” 24/7 because the boundary between work and personal life has collapsed with work-related calls or emails more often than not at our fingertips.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Mother of Georgia shooting suspect called school to warn of emergency, aunt says
The mother of the 14-year-old who has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of four people at his Georgia high school called the school before the killings, warning staff of an 'extreme emergency' involving her son, a relative said.
Here's what jobs will survive in the AI boom: Statistics Canada estimates
A recent study by Statistics Canada sheds light on how different occupations may be affected by the AI boom, including those who might lose their jobs in a more automation-driven future.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
Sudbury OPP officer pleads guilty to stealing evidence during moose hunt investigation
A veteran staff sergeant with the Ontario Provincial Police in Sudbury has been sentenced for stealing two items from a First Nations man and hiding what he did while his fellow officers searched for them.
The 33 most anticipated movies of the fall
Here are some of the most anticipated films of this fall, from large to small and everything in between.
Texts, social media a 'minefield' for people going through divorce: lawyer
When Sarah Boulby tells clients going through a divorce or locked in a custody battle that their texts and social media posts might be put under a microscope, she usually gets one of two responses.
Surging Elks lick Stamps 37-16 to escape West basement
The Edmonton Elks are finding a way to return to respectability in what initially looked like a lost season.
'They just see these tenants as a profits': Guelph residents fighting back against renoviction
Guelph tenants worry they'll have find a new home after recently receiving N-13 notices from their new apartment owner.
They were due to leave for their dream cruise in May. Three months on they’re still stuck at the departure port
It was the years-long cruise that was supposed to set sail, but saw its departure postponed… postponed… and postponed again.